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Glite Dictionary
miter box

miter box

1 6.8
A tool that guides a saw to make cuts at exact angles in wood for picture frames
  • noun
  • /ˈmaɪtər bɑks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : caja de inglete
  • Using a miter box allows you to create professional-looking corners in your woodworking projects.

It's actually just like miter boxes, saws, no more nails, loads of fun things like that.

Examples

  • It's actually just like miter boxes, saws, no more nails, loads of fun things like that.

    STEPHANIE TOMS

  • To make precise angled cuts, set the wood in the miter box before using the saw.

  • He carefully aligned the piece of wood in the miter box to ensure a perfect fit for the joint.

Surface Forms

miter box singular
miter boxes plural

Morphology

miter + box

The meaning is directly and transparently compositional: 'miter' (an angled cut/joint) + 'box' (a container or device) yields a box/device used for making miter cuts. This is a regular English compound noun pattern and would be readily understood by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Miter box is a small tool that acts like a box with slots to hold a saw and guide it so you can cut wood at an exact angle. Because it helps make a miter, an 'angled cut' used for frames and corners, the tool is called a miter box.